A brand is as good as the people that believe in it. And it’s not the brand-building that takes time but the community. It needs to be nurtured like a baby. The community needs to have confidence in your vision, mission, and purpose. And how does a brand do that? By earning their trust. By making your consumer your priority. Communities bring your most loyal customers and consumers in one place, which is a massive win for any brand. People in your community are emotionally invested; they will turn brand advocates, digest your content, tell their friends and family about your company, and more. When you harness the power of your community, you create brand awareness, understand your consumers better and build brand loyalty. 

Purpose Of Your Brand 

Does your brand have a clear purpose? How does it help people to add value to their lives? Does it serve the greater good? Is your brand providing solutions to the community which is in dire need of them? How do you think your brand community will benefit from it? If your brand solves all the above questions, your community is going to grow with every new product or service that you add to your repertoire. People will also start identifying your brand with the community that endorses it and this, in turn, will boost brand advocacy.

Content That Helps 

Content is the king but so is the consumer. It becomes indispensable for the brand to feature both in equal capacity. Build your content around the experiences of your community. Listen to their grievances & provide a thorough solution. Ask yourself, “What do they need?” and work accordingly. Acknowledge their contribution & their support by making them an integral part of your new launch campaign. Get them involved in your ideas & ask them for suggestions. Keep the community interactive!

24/7 Support 

People tend to form a strong connection with a brand when they know that there is a support system. Someone who will answer all their queries & doubts 24/7. This helps to reinstate trust in the community that the brand is listening, constantly upgrading, and innovating. Communities help give most brands an in-depth understanding of consumers’ needs and desires. While UGC such as reviews and comments are viewed as more authentic. At Wiggles.in, we created Wiggles Tribe, a community where pet parents have access to our in-house veterinarians, trainers, behaviorists, and nutritionists who answer any and every query pet parents come across in their journey of pethood. This ensured that pet parents from across India could rely on us come what may and have their concerns addressed by the experts themselves.

Fostering Brand Loyalty 

A community comes together because they have shared goals & common pain points. Therefore, conversations need to be real, informative, and transparent. The agenda should be to serve the community. Always find unique ways to let your community know that they are indeed the true contributors to your brand. Mutual appreciation strengthens the community as well as the brand. It is also pertinent to train your team to engage with the community with empathy, compassion & facts. Pro tip - a little humor goes a long way!

And for this to happen, our aim at Wiggles is to keep our ears to the ground and listen to what our consumers need. During the lockdown, a lot of pet parents asked us about using human sanitizers on their pets. They didn’t know that their sanitizers contain alcohol which is toxic. We realized the need of the hour is a 100% alcohol-free pet sanitizer that is safe to lick and is rinse-free. We rolled out our Instant Pet Sanitizer and we were sold out in less than 48 hours!

Whether it’s through events or online groups, communities are key to brand loyalty, awareness, and overall success. An engaged community will lead to better products, learning, and innovation, as well as growth. Although to make an impact, brands need to build communities that go beyond selling a product or service and provide value and support its members. At the end of the day, your community needs to know that you are here to take responsibility and show them not just through your words but through actions that you are committed to providing the best service possible for them through your brand.

The author is Anushka Iyer, Founder and CEO, Wiggles.in